Six for Sunday- Bookish Resolutions

#SixforSunday is hosted by Steph at A Little But A Lot. Every week there is a bookish-themed prompt to inspire 6 choices.

This month focuses on Getting to know you and this week the prompt is Six bookish resolutions

1. Read it all: shiny and seasoned

There’s a temptation as a bookish person particularly as a blogger to push to be the most current, properly riding the zeitgeist, reading the hottest, most coveted books or you are somehow not part of the ‘cool crowd’, or doing book blogging ‘right’ and readers turned away because that book is so 5 minutes ago.

I admit as a newbie blogger taking my lead from other popular blogs I didn’t do much reviewing of older books until I did Little Spotlights with picture books and a few reading challenges where authors expressed happiness and delight that their backlist was being celebrated and commenters were enjoying remembering reading the book too OR being encouraged to read it for the first time.

All this begs the question more so not of what should I read, but more so what kind of blogger do I want to be.

Now, I want to support great well-written and engaging books whether I am lucky enough to get a much coveted proof or arc (and goodness am I grateful when that happens!), whether bought the hottest super anticipated book, the quiet launch that very few people hear of, also the older books that may have been lost amongst louder launches, or some that shone brightly until the next new thing arrived, or sometimes its a second-hand out of print find .

I want to read widely what piques my interest new books and older books, to follow good recommendations heartily and discover worlds that are new to me.

2. Read the gaps

I have quite a few gaps in my reading, I’ve started a series then got distracted by another book and not realised that there’s another 2,3,4 books to read in that series. I’d like to prioritise reading the gaps for example the WLTGO, Cogheart stories, Alex Sparrow and Podkin and the Five Realms are just 4 series I want to catch up with.

Then there’s authors who I want to deep dive their backlist! Michelle Harrison, Sharon Gosling and Fleur Hitchcock are amongst those I have started and really enjoyed, and I already have books ready from Laura Wood and Gabrielle Kent to name 2 I have sitting ready.

3. Get a bullet journal and try making notes as I go

For someone who is a prolific reviewer I’m not the most efficient, I was talking about this with Mary at Book Craic how we have our own little quirks about forming our reviews. I’m pretty sure that if I made notes as I went along it would be much easier come write up.

I tend to regurgitate my thoughts into a new note and then pick out and tease a review from my thoughts, then go back to the book for quotes as I have pretty good spatial memory for plot to pages. I occasionally make notes in my notes app as I go if there’s an especially profound quote but because it’s not in front of me ALL the time whilst reading it’s not prioritised and then… I get distracted and check Twitter or something so a physical book would probably make it a lot easier & habit to write it down.

Plus I saw how Leilah Skelton writes a diary of reading each year which just sounds a beautiful record of a beloved hobby. I will have to relax on the aesthetic as it will never be as pretty as my MMU casebook but it will also let me indulge in my love of stationery too.

4 Get a little more organised with the books

My books are in a mess 🙈 I need to rearrange our shelves.

I also kinda need another book trolley! Mostly because it’s being used partially as a side table which means it’s not so easy to use the top shelf!

5 To be brave

This has many layers. On my blogging anniversary post I talked about wanting to be a bit braver in both contacting publishers and including more of my thoughts and creative activities in my blogging.

But I also want to be hugely more brave and go to a few more bookish events.

Last year I went to three author events ; the Little Tiger Event which was LOVELY; the discussion between Sophie Anderson and Candy Gourlay in Oxford; and a Claire Barker event at Waddesdon Manor which the girls thoroughly enjoyed!

Claire Barker tells us all about her writing process and Littlefae was enchanted!

All were lovely, uplifting and wonderful to meet some of our favourite authors, but they were huge for me to go to, especially the ones I went to on my own without a faery in my lap to cuddle!

I have quite bad social anxiety and terrible crippling imposter syndrome, then I also don’t feel like ‘me’ since for various reasons, I’ve struggled to lose the weight after Tinyfae. I know that’s vain and stupid so I also then berate myself for that!!

I was too shy to go to anything else, signings I convinced myself not to go to Oxford on a Saturday and Literary festivals even though there are two quite popular ones on my doorstep!

This year I’m going to try to go to more, I am going to be brave; Daunt Books is opening a branch near us this year and are aiming to put on events, Waterstones & Blackwells often do Children’s events and if there are conversations or events in the Oxford and Chipping Norton festivals that spark my interest, I will go- mum you have to hold me to this one particularly, I know you are reading! – even if it’s just for me. Who knows, I may even be brave enough to go further afield by the summer.

6 Keep being a champion for books

I’ve really loved sharing my love of books and championing brilliant reads I’ve enjoyed. I‘d love to keep this up in 2020!!

What about you??

All pictures from Unsplash.com